Icarus Flies
by misskatiefrank
Summary: Fiona has spent her whole life feeling like she doesn't belong. Perhaps in the BPRD she will find the answers she needs and the place she belongs. Warning: possible HB OC romance
1. Part 0: Prologue

**DISCLAIMER!:** You think if I owned Hellboy I'd be writing this? Nope.  
Hellboy is the property of the wonderful Mike Mignola and Dark Horse comics and the movie franchise is the property of Warner Brothers. Anything or anyone else you recognise from the Hellboy comics, Hellboy films or B.P.R.D comics are also intellectual property of Mike Mignola and Dark Horse.  
On the plus side I own Fiona, Agent Platt, Charlotte Brennan and this work of fiction.  
This is a purely fictional piece of work and any similarities to persons real or imagined, living or deceased are unintentional.

Right, I think that's my ass well covered for the next few chapters at least. Let's get on with the story.

* * *

It had been one of the stormiest nights on record. Lightning had ripped the sky, sending it into a series of brilliant shades of blue and purple. It was the kind of night that no one wanted to be outside in. But, the next morning, a woman out walking her dog found evidence that someone had been outside that night. Lying on the grass at the side of the road was a small baby, quietly smiling and waving it's little arms and legs about. The woman lifted the baby in her arms and carried it straight to hospital. The child was later adopted by a loving couple. A couple who took the baby in and cared for it as if it were their own.  
They called her Fiona.

As Fiona grew she had always felt that she didn't quite belong, the only blue-eyed blonde in a family of brunettes. Their green and brown eyes seeming to shun and accuse. Her struggle to fit in was intensified when, just thirteen years old, she accidentally electrocuted the family's pet Labrador. After that she became a recluse, keeping herself covered at all times and separating herself from the world – even those she called her family – afraid both of what she might do to them and what they might do to her. She worked with her newfound powers in secret pretending she was a normal human being.

That was until the government approached her and asked her to join their 'special' forces.

* * *

**Authors Note:** First, thanks to my beta **Hakuso009** :)  
A bit you'll need to know about this story:  
It's slightly AU in that it is set six years after the events of the first film and some things here dip into comic verse though it's mainly set in movie verse. Liz Sherman has died (sadface) but Professor Trevor Bruttenholm still lives. Oh and the events of the second movie haven't happened, so Liz was never pregnant. I couldn't be that cruel. Anyway, I think that's all you need to know. Any questions, ask away!


	2. Part 1: Introductions

Fiona was bustled into the B.P.R.D late at night with no introductions and no briefing. She was taken straight to her room- a specially prepared rubber-walled cell and left there until the next morning. It wasn't exactly how she'd pictured her induction as a federal agent but she guessed it could be worse. She could be locked up somewhere where she was tested on by mad scientists. At least they'd promised her no experiments. She slept unusually deeply, with none of her usual fits or sparking. After the journey and all the precautions, she was absolutely exhausted. It was the best night's sleep she'd ever had.

The next morning she was awoken by a brisk knocking on her door. Groggily she called for whomever it was to come in. The door was unlocked and she really didn't want to get out of bed yet.  
"Jackson. Get out of bed."  
One eyebrow arched up her forehead and Fiona rolled over to look at the owner of the harsh voice directed towards her. Her nostrils flared slightly and she propped herself up in bed. She'd never met this woman before and already she was being ordered about like some lower being.  
"And you are?" she asked coldly, sparks jumping over her curled fist.  
"Agent Platt. I'm your liaison," the woman replied, placing a bowl and a box of cereal on the small table.  
Fi studied her carefully. From the brown hair scraped back into a harsh bun to the neatly pressed uniform everything about this woman screamed uptight. And she'd come in shouting orders. The two of them were not going to get along. Sighing Fiona pulled her gloves onto her hands and slid out of bed, her bare feet making no noise on the rubber flooring.  
"I'd get back if I were you."  
Agent Platt looked at her incredulously.  
"Really, unless you're resistant to a couple thousand volts running through you too I'd get back." Fi grinned. "They always said I was a bit of a livewire."  
"You're to be at a meeting with Professor Bruttenholm in the library at 11." Platt informed her, stepping backwards towards the door.  
"And what time is it now?" Fi called towards the closing door.  
"Half past ten."  
"Bollocks."  
She ate quickly and almost ran to the bathroom, cleaning her teeth and face so quickly she was sure she'd scrubbed half of her skin off in the process. She moved in such a rush that it didn't occur to her until she left the room that it was slightly odd how a rubber-lined cat suit that was an exact fit for her had appeared in her wardrobe. Or how they'd know what her measurements were.

When she arrived in the library there were two men there. The older she assumed to be Professor Bruttenholm – he had the look of a kindly old professor. The other was a balding man who looked almost as uptight as Agent Platt. And twice as irritable.  
"Sorry, sorry, sorry." Fiona gasped. "How late am I?"  
"Five minutes." Baldy snapped.  
Professor Bruttenholm held a hand up and smiled softly. "Don't worry, it's not a problem," he said "I trust your first night here was comfortable?"  
"Very much, thank you. It's the best night's sleep I've had in a long time."  
"Wonderful! Then hopefully you will be fresh and ready to meet your future team-mates. I'm sorry we couldn't be more accommodating last night, but the Bureau had a very long and trying day. I hope you understand."  
Fiona nodded but said nothing.  
"I'll start with the introductions shall I? I'm Professor Bruttenholm, this is Agent Manning and over there in the tank is Abraham Sapien." The Professor gestured to a large tank to her left. "Go say hello."  
Right on cue the blue, streamlined shape of Abe appeared inside the water tank. For a few moments she was taken aback (it wasn't every day you saw a blue merman in a giant aquarium) but then Fiona's blue eyes lit up and she almost danced over, resting her gloved hands against the glass and looking closely into Abe's face. Her lips cracked into a small smile.  
"Hey, I'm--"  
"Fiona May Jackson, aged twenty three from California." Abe finished for her stopping himself before he got too far, he had learnt not to divulge everything he read from a person after a couple of newbies ran terrified from the room once. "Abe Sapien, a pleasure to meet you."  
Fiona gaped. "How did you…?"  
"Abe is psychic." Professor Bruttenholm replied, standing at her shoulder. "His frontal lobe is very different to yours."  
"It's cool. I'd love to be able to shake your hand Mr Sapien, but I can't see water and electricity mixing very well." There was a hint of sadness in her voice as she spoke and she shook her head. "Still… it's very nice to meet you."  
"And you," Abe replied before swimming off.  
"You took that very well," said Professor Bruttenholm, smiling as he moved to turn the pages on the books positioned in front of the tank. "Most people are more than a little taken aback when they first see Abe."  
"Well I'm not exactly normal myself, so it's not like I can judge." She paused and looked down at the books. "Is he reading those books?"  
"Yes. Four every day."  
"Can we move on? I haven't got all day!" Manning complained. "This wasn't meant to take long."  
Professor Bruttenholm sighed wearily but nodded. "Yes. Miss Jackson if you head through that door in front of you Agent Myers will be waiting to introduce you to the rest of your team."  
"Aren't you coming?" Fi asked worriedly, glancing between the two men.  
"I have an appointment I need to keep, and I'm afraid Manning here doesn't get along too well with who you're about to meet." Professor Bruttenholm explained, patting her kindly on the back. "Don't worry. Agent Myers will take good care of you."

Fiona paused one last time before she headed through the doors, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. On the other side, a few feet down a well decorated corridor stood a young kindly-looking man who smiled at her.  
"Fiona Jackson?"  
"That would be me." Fiona smiled, walking towards him. "Would I be correct to assume you're Agent Myers?"  
"Yep. But you can call me John." John reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of Baby Ruth candy bars. "You'll need these."  
"Oh yum!"  
"I wouldn't eat them if I were you." John laughed. "Follow me."  
"Why? Did you poison them?" Fi asked, staring at the candy. "Hey, wait up!"  
She jogged down the corridor after John until he came to a stop at a large silver door fashioned like the entrance to a safe. He turned the wheel on the front and paused, glancing back at her.  
"You weren't too freaked out by Abe right?" He asked.  
"Not at all. He was really very polite."  
John Myers nodded and pulled open the door.  
"Good, 'cause you're about to meet his partner."  
The room they stepped into was small like Fi's, but this one was hot and filled with smoke and, oddly, the smell of cats. She jumped back slightly as one rubbed up against her leg.  
"I'd be careful if I were you kitty." She grinned, ticking the cat behind its ears.  
"Myers? Who's this?"  
Fi looked up, searching the dark of the room for the owner of the deep voice. Once her eyes had adjusted to the lower levels of light she spotted him quite easily. Standing at the back of the room lifting weights was Hellboy. The real Hellboy.  
"Fiona Jackson." Myers had opened his mouth but Fi replied for him. "Nice to meet you, too."  
"She's a new Agent." John explained.  
"We don't need any new agents. Blue and I manage just fine," the big red ape snorted, his tail twitching.  
"Give him the candy." John murmured.  
Fi lifted up the two candy bars and glanced between them and Hellboy. She thought for a moment then smiled to herself before throwing one straight at him.  
"Catch," she called. "I'm keeping the other. If you don't want me around I'm guessing you don't want my candy either."  
HB narrowed his yellow eyes at her for a moment before he laughed.  
"She's not too bad John. Better than you were." He chuckled, holding out his hand. "But no dice, kid. Hand it over."  
Fi placed it in his hand, sensing the acknowledgement from HB that he accepted her and her place in the B.P.R.D, albeit grudgingly so. She gave him a small smile before turning and walking out.


	3. Part 2: Training

The next morning Fi was awoken much earlier by Agent Platt, although it was in the same rude manner as her first morning at the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defence.  
"Jackson, get up. Your training starts at nine."  
Fi rolled her eyes. "One day you'll walk in here and get electrocuted because I'll still be asleep," she grumbled sitting up and narrowing her eyes at her uptight liaison. "And you know what? I'm not going to be sorry. What time is it this morning anyway, half eight?"  
"Half seven," Platt snorted, leaving her breakfast on the table and backing out of the room again.  
Fiona rolled out of bed and went to sit at the table, looking sadly at the box of cereal in front of her.  
"At least its sugary cereal," she muttered to herself. "I'm really going to have to make a friend in this place who I'm not going to accidentally kill. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life eating breakfast alone in a rubber cell."  
She took her time this morning, washing her hair out thoroughly in the bath. She had never been able to use showers, the electricity from her body invariably managed to get up to the head and blow the whole thing. The cat suit from yesterday had returned to its place in the wardrobe, joined by two twins at some point during the day. She made a mental note to ask about it sometime and to ask whether there was any way she could wear normal clothes without accidentally killing half the B.P.R.D because she woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

Bang on nine she was stood in the middle of the gym. Before now she'd had no idea this place had a gym, but she'd bumped into Myers and a huge trolley full of food on her way through the corridors and he'd directed her to the right place. So here she stood, peering around carefully for the trainer who was supposed to meet her.  
"You're on time!" A sprightly redheaded woman grinned, walking towards her from the back of the room. "Tom Manning was just making it very clear to me about how you were late yesterday! I'm Charlotte Brennan, but feel free to call me Charlie."  
Fiona smiled and shook the woman's hand with one of her gloved ones. "Fiona Jackson, but call me Fi," she replied. "I assume you're my trainer?"  
"Yep. Have you had any kind of military training before?"  
"Well, my old gymnastics teacher was practically a dictator, but other than that no," Fi grinned.  
"Oh gym, that's brilliant. That will be very helpful," Charlie mused. "We'll start with hand-to-hand combat. Don't worry, you can keep your gloves on, I've been briefed."  
Training was hard. After only an hour Fi was totally exhausted and she'd learned that she was great at dodging punches, just sucked at dealing them out. A further two hours later she was about to drop dead but she had finally learnt how to give a good left hook, it was just the right side of her body that needed work. Charlie meanwhile was only just sweating and had been able to give her more than a couple of ripe bruises.  
"Right, we'll take a break now." She grinned, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "Have lunch, go do whatever else you need to do today and I'll meet you back here at seven for another couple of hours okay?"  
Fiona nodded slowly. "Sure. Just… no more hand-to-hand combat."  
"Nawh, we're moving on to handguns."

After lunch – a dubious looking mush that she was assured was shepherds pie by the woman in the canteen – she moved onto training her powers, her teacher this time being none other than Professor Bruttenholm. Admittedly he watched her from a room behind a Plexiglas window, but still it was a wonderful lesson.  
"Now, what can you do?" The professor asked through a speaker system.  
"Lighting bolts, weak force fields, a little bit of object movement." Fiona reeled off, counting things on her fingers. "I'm like a one woman circus."  
"Hmm." The professor thought for a moment. "We'll start with the simple stuff. I assume forming bolts of electricity comes most easily to you?"  
Fi nodded in confirmation.  
"Good, then I think some target practice is in order."  
A row of what she assumed to be cheap stone statues was set up and Fiona was instructed to start ten feet back then moved a further five feet away for each statue she hit using her bolts of electricity. She soon found she wasn't as good a shot as she thought she was. At thirty feet away, she started to struggle, by fifty she was missing things entirely.  
"It's okay; this gives me something to work with," the professor chuckled as she started to curse loudly with every miss.  
"Thanks. Sorry. Really, sorry Professor," she murmured, brushing her mess of blonde hair out of her face.  
"It's okay." He repeated. "If you don't mind putting your gloves back on I'm coming down."  
Fi nodded and slid the gloves back over her hands, waiting for the Professor to come down through the door. When he did his expression was far from the disappointment she had expected – instead he was smiling broadly and… clapping?  
"That was much better than I expected." He smiled. "Much better. I assumed you had never had any type of target practice before?"  
"Nothing more than sending bolts at a wall in front of me." Fi admitted, shrugging.  
"Spectacular." Bruttenholm murmured. "Well, I know where we can start work. But we can do that tomorrow, it's time for tea and afterwards I've been told you have an arms lesson with Miss Brennan?"  
Fi nodded. "Don't remind me. The combat session this morning nearly killed me!"

Despite her complaining Fiona was actually early for her arms lesson, buzzing with excitement. Part of her was excited because she had never handled a gun before and she really wanted to know what it was like. The other part of her was excitement because she had experienced some initial chemistry with the friendly trainer and she was looking forwards to seeing her again.  
"Now you're giving me a bad name!" Charlie laughed, striding in through the back door. "I wasn't expecting you to be early."  
"I was excited." She admitted. "I've never touched a gun before."  
"Well… they're only paintball guns, can't have you getting shot for real, but feast your eyes on these babies." The redhead smiled, flipping open a small case. "I'll tell you a secret; the guns are my favourite bit. Now, pick a colour. Green or blue."  
"Blue, hands down." Fi laughed, picking up the gun with blue pellets in it.  
"Good thing you picked that one, green is my favourite colour. Don't know if I'd have let you take it." Charlie teased. "Now, we're going to have a little paintball game. You have to try and avoid the shots and shoot me; I'll be doing the same thing. Don't worry, I'll go easy on you. Now suit up."  
She gestured to a cupboard containing two sets of paintballing gear, including body plates and helmets. They suited up and wished each other luck before embarking on their missions. Fiona didn't think she'd ever had as much fun doing exercise, or received as many bruises.  
By the end of their session Fi's black suit was speckled all over with green, including a few death shots to her chest and helmet. She noticed that the trainer looked a lot less colourful, though she had managed to shoot her a few times, including one killer shot to the head. As with the hand-to-hand combat she found she was much better at dodging shots than dealing them out – somewhere her gym and dance had come in handy – but she had improved as the session had progressed.  
"Well I think you've done brilliantly." Agent Brennan smiled, pulling off her helmet and shaking out her hair. "Much better than I would have expected. Still, we have plenty of work to do. I'll see you tomorrow after lunch."  
Fiona nodded but said nothing, opting instead to retreat to her room and collapse into sleep.


	4. Part 3: The First Mission

Time seemed to move quickly within the confines of the B.P.R.D, two months passed in what felt like a matter of weeks. Of course, it probably helped that she spent almost every day in training – the heavy work left her exhausted and she was asleep by ten most nights. Weekends were spent mostly in the library speaking with Abe; of course unlike Abe and Hellboy she was allowed to leave the confines of the building as long as she wore gloves and some of the special 'invisible' protective clothing they found for her. There was nothing strange about her in outwards appearances, her only real defining features were hair like pale straw and her delicate looking figure, features which were a dime a dozen in California and not all that uncommon in New Jersey either although usually they were accompanied by over inflated chests. Unless she took off her clothes no one would realise she was different. Sometimes she did go out, but in the library with Abe she found something she rarely encountered in the outside world – good conversation. Of course she was nowhere near as intelligent as Abe, she'd only just maintained a C average in school, but she wasn't the dumb blonde people mistook her for.

Today was a Saturday, and like she did every second Saturday Fi had spent the morning in town and had come to spend her evening with Abe.  
"Evening Blue." She greeted, pulling a chair up in front of the tank. "Had a good day?"  
"Not bad." Abe replied, appearing in front of the glass. "Do you mind?"  
He gestured to the jar of rotten eggs on the table and Fiona nodded standing and placing a couple into the hatch using the tongs. She returned to her seat and waited for him to finish, still amazed by how graceful the merman was even when eating.  
"Thank you, I was famished." The merman said when he finished. "How has your day been? What is it like outside?"  
"Surprisingly warm actually. But I can feel static in the air, so I'm hoping we'll get a thunderstorm soon." She grinned. "Other than that my day hasn't really been exciting. I need to make some plans before I go out. I just wandered around for a few hours. Bought a coffee and some cookies in Starbucks and came back."  
"Hmm." Abe paused for a moments thought. "Well perhaps soon you'll be joining us on missions. Then you will be glad of weekends where you have no plans. I heard you've been progressing well with your training."  
"It depends what you mean by progress. I'm very good at dodging punches, and I've discovered I have a pretty mean left hook. But my aim is still atrocious."  
"That's not what Professor Bruttenholm told me."  
"Well, after two months I can just about hit a large stone bust from fifty feet away." She admitted cheeks tingeing red. "But still I'm no crack shot. I mean, get another ten, twenty feet back from that and I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn."  
"And that is why you practice."  
Fiona jumped and span around, her eyes settling on the professor at the back of the room.  
"Oh Professor, I didn't see you there!" She gasped. "I'm sorry."  
"What for my dear?" The professor smiled. "However, I do believe Miss Platt is looking for you. You may want to hurry before she gets annoyed."  
Grumbling under her breath Fi nodded and left the library, clearly unhappy that her plans for the evening had been disrupted. The professor watched her go before turning to look at Abe.  
"What do you think Abe?"

It was only a couple of days later when Fiona got her confirmation. Panting she pulled off her helmet and carefully studied the bright blue splat she had left on the side of her trainer's own headgear.  
"Good shot!" Charlie grinned, removing her own headgear.  
"Yeah and I took three shots to the chest to get it." Fi grumbled, lifting a hand to indicate the three green marks on her body armour.  
"Stop putting yourself down!" The older woman scolded playfully, resting an arm around Fi's shoulders. "You're doing absolutely great. In fact I think you may be ready to start working in the field with the guys."  
"Three shots to the chest!" Fi protested, blue eyes searching Charlie's green ones for some sign of a joke. "I'm going to die!"  
"Nonsense. You will be fine. If anything you'll do better out there in the field than you do in here what with the adrenaline flowing and all."  
"I don't know…"  
"Trust me. You'll be fine."  
Fiona sighed and shook her head, looking away from the trainer and towards the floor. But she couldn't hide the smile that twitched on her lips, or the slight pink tinge creeping into her cheeks. Charlotte Brennan saw her reaction and chuckled, patting her on the back.  
"Good, so you'll be heading out on the next mission with Abe and Red? Of course you will. Now, go shower and cool off then find your liaison. They'll need to know you've been cleared for action, otherwise you'll never get out there."  
"Can't I just stay here? I'd rather go another couple of rounds with you than find Platt." Fi grumbled, the two really didn't get along.  
"Get gone." Charlotte ordered, pointing towards the door and slapping her on the ass. "Or I'll push you out the door myself!"  
"That's sexual harassment you know." She grinned, skipping off towards the showers, her mood suddenly lifted. "Not that I mind…"

Apparently in the B.P.R.D news travels fast. By the time Fiona had finished her shower and dried off half the building already knew she'd been cleared for fieldwork. She wondered whether that meant she didn't really have to tell Platt, but since the idea of getting out and actually doing something had grown on her considerably since she'd first been told, she figured she'd better double check. On her way she passed Hellboy's room, apparently he knew too.  
"I don't want her there."  
"Red, she'd part of the team now. You'll just have to deal with it."  
"Listen Myers. Women. Are. Trouble." Hellboy growled in reply. "They just get themselves into danger and then I end up having to get them out of it. She'll only get herself killed."  
Fiona stopped and leant against the wall. She knew she was eavesdropping but she didn't care.  
"Red that was two years ago. Besides she's not Liz." Myers murmured.  
Liz? Who was Liz?  
"I know she's not Liz!" The red ape roared and she heard a crash from inside the room. "Liz knew how to handle herself. From what I hear this kid could hardly win a fist fight. Besides, have you seen her? She'll snap like a twig if she gets caught in a strong breeze, let alone out there. She's a walking funeral and I'm not going to be the one looking out for her."  
"They wouldn't have cleared her if she wasn't capable of looking after herself. Besides, she's not just a girl and you know it. I know you and Abe talk."  
"But she is still a girl. And I'm still not working with her."  
"Sorry HB but you are, and you have no say in the matter."  
Fi heard footsteps coming towards the door and she pushed herself off the wall, walking away so fast it was practically a jog. For once she was truly thankful for the insulated suit she wore because she could feel the sparks of electricity running over her skin. She didn't watch where she was going and with her eyebrows knitted together she stormed right into Agent Platt, who jumped back from the static shock she received, her glasses falling off her nose.  
"Miss Jackson…"  
"I've been cleared for missions and I'm going to bed." She snapped, storming straight past. "Wake me up when you need me."  
"I'll be at your door tomorrow at 6am sharp. Your first mission is tomorrow." Platt called after her, hastily replacing her glasses and straightening her uniform.  
Fiona stopped and turned, staring at the woman in disbelief.  
"Sea serpent was found in a small reservoir in Yorkshire, England. You'll be flying out early tomorrow morning." The Agent continued. "So you'll be needing plenty of rest. Goodnight."


End file.
